


How to Use the Phone

by killingg_eve



Category: Killing Eve (TV 2018)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-28
Updated: 2020-12-28
Packaged: 2021-03-11 02:48:10
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,802
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28377966
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/killingg_eve/pseuds/killingg_eve
Summary: What would have happened in 2x02 if Villanelle successfully reached Eve when she used Julian's telephone?--Title derived from what Villanelle tells Raymond in the Volvo.This was meant to be a one-shot, but it became long! Enjoy :)
Relationships: Eve Polastri/Villanelle | Oksana Astankova
Comments: 15
Kudos: 96





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Villanelle skips trying to call The Twelve and instead tries to reach MI6, straight away.
> 
> I hope you enjoy! Please leave comments xoxo :)

“What are you looking for?” Julian asks.

Villanelle turns around with worry strewn on her face, which she quickly conceals. She makes eye contact with him.

“A kitchen knife,” she states, simply.

“What for?” Julian asks.

Villanelle becomes nearly hysterical with the feelings of being trapped and discovered, all at once. Her fight or flight threatens to overtake the situation, and she has the impulse to lunge for Julian’s throat. She has been through worse, though, so she holds her ground and lets the conversation unravel.

“To stab you with,” she replies, her face twisting itself into a fearful smile.

She eventually gets around to asking him if he is going to the pharmacy, and his irritation and short temper are a surprise to them both.

“Will you just stop badgering me, for five minutes?!” he yells.

Villanelle freezes.

He calms and says, “I’ll bring you back some flu tablets,” then scurries to the door and slams it shut, locking it behind him.

Villanelle’s surprise quickly melts into judgment of the disgraceful bastard, and then she’s concerned and afraid about her ability to get out of the house she is locked into.

The solution is directly in front of her, luckily. Her gaze lifts and lands on the phone. _Eve_ , she thinks, and she holds onto her abdomen and shuffles across the kitchen to pick the phone up.

She begins to dial the number to reach the operator. She shakes her wrist with anticipation and jumps up and down, and her breathing quickens. Each digit she has to press into the old-fashioned telephone brings her closer to panic, as she feels that Julian could come back into the house at any moment.

When she reaches the last digit, she remembers the sharp pain in her side and grabs a fistful of her pale blue nightgown. Then, she listens while the phone rings.

“Operator,” the agent says.

“Connect me to MI6, please,” Villanelle requests.

“Is this a prank call?” the operator asks.

“No! I need to speak to MI6,” Villanelle says, urgently.

“I can’t disclose that number,” the operator says.

“Yeah?” Villanelle says, becoming panicked again, “Well, tell them I’m going to blow up the houses of parliament!” She sounds desperate and unstable.

The operator grumbles something and puts her through.

Villanelle realizes that the phone is ringing, and a flash of relief overcomes her. She smiles and lets out a breath.

“Hello?” Villanelle says.

An automated message comes through. “Hello. Please clearly state the name of the person you wish to be connected to, after the tone.”

“Eve Polastri!” Villanelle says, and her eyes glow with excitement at the thought that she may actually reach Eve. She almost wonders why she hasn’t tried this, before, but she has scarcely ever needed to be rescued as badly as she does, right now.

“One moment,” replies the automated voice.

And then the phone rings, again, and Villanelle’s hand starts to sweat with anticipation.

“This is Eve Polastri,” Eve says, after a short while.

It’s _Eve_. It’s really _Eve_ , and Villanelle thinks her voice sounds how silk feels, right now, and she becomes overwhelmed with emotions about having been stabbed . . . but also having been loved enough to be stabbed. She thinks Eve’s voice means everything to her, like being at home or sitting beside one’s favorite person. Villanelle has never tried to call Mama, before, but she wonders if other people call their mother and feel _this_ feeling of safety and familiarity—

“Hello?” Eve says, when all she could hear was somebody breathing on the other end of the line.

“Oh my god, Eve!” Villanelle says, breathily and excitedly—and urgently, still.

“Vill— _shit_ ,” Eve says, and then without controlling her impulses, she says, “ _fuck, fuck fuck_!”

“Eve, I need your help!” Villanelle says, but her words are drowned out by Eve’s continued panic.

_Villanelle wants revenge_ , Eve thinks, and she wonders what she has to say to Villanelle in order not to be killed. She decides to call Carolyn to ensure she has protection. She doesn’t want to be left alone until she knows Villanelle has stopped chasing her and is locked u—

“Eve???” Villanelle says, “Are you listening to me? I said I need your help!!”

“Oh god, fuck!” Eve says. “What do you want from me? _Please_ don’t come after me!—Or Niko! I’m sorry I—”

Villanelle hears the apology but doesn’t have time to talk about having been stabbed. All she cares about is being rescued from the hellish house Julian keeps her in, and getting off of the phone before he comes back inside and finds her using it.

“Eve! I need you to pick me up!” Villanelle says, urgently. She feels she could burst into tears at any second.

“What?! Wh-Wh-Why do—”

“—I’m in a hostage situation!” Villanelle screeches in desperation. “Please get me out, Eve!”

Eve’s stomach twists with concern and she forgets about how scared she is, for a second. She thinks Villanelle is making it up, but she isn’t certain about anything, yet.

“What do you mean?” Eve asks. “Are you being serious?” she asks, cautiously.

Villanelle starts to cry. “Please, you have to believe me! There is a man named Julian, and he keeps me in his house! His mother is here, too. All of the windows and doors have locks on them!” She presses her forehead against the wall and prays to some unnamed deity that Eve will believe her.

The sick feeling in Eve’s stomach intensifies and she decides to trust Villanelle, for some reason. Maybe it’s how detailed Villanelle’s story is, or maybe it’s the tone of her voice. She doesn’t want Villanelle to be trapped or hurt, and she doesn’t know what the man is capable of, or if anything bad has happened to Villanelle. Eve _really_ wishes, this time, that she didn’t stab Villanelle; she doesn’t want to be the reason that Villanelle was vulnerable enough to get kidnapped.

“I believe you,” Eve says with certainty, after only having been quiet for a few seconds.

Villanelle takes a few heaving breaths and smiles momentarily. Tears fill the corners of her eyes and she thinks that Eve is _everything_ , that Eve understands her and trusts her.

“Give me his address—or the name of the street, if you don’t know the address,” Eve says, quickly.

So, Villanelle does.

**

Eve finds the street that Villanelle named, and she quickly sees Julian’s name listed as one of the homeowners. She writes down the address and rips off the part of the paper she wrote it on, shoving it into her pocket and grabbing her jacket.

She heads for the door and throws her coat on, hoping to god that Villanelle isn’t lying . . . that she’s not walking into her own death trap, especially without telling her coworkers where she is headed. She realizes that if she didn’t want to be in danger, she shouldn’t have stabbed a Russian assassin. Eve decides that anything that happens, now, is her own fault.

**

Eve parks in front of Julian’s house and takes a deep breath. Her eyes land on the rearview mirror and for some reason, it reminds her of the time she saw Villanelle standing behind the car with a loaded gun. The thrill of that time feels similar to now. She closes her eyes and then begins to move, when she opens them again.

She knocks on the door and has a plan in mind, already.

A man opens the door, and she assesses how awkwardly tall he is . . . how odd his little combover is, and how his eyes appear both kind and distant, at the same time.

“Hello,” Eve says with a smile, and she does her best to imitate her grandmother’s accent.

Julian doesn’t say anything, he just knits his eyebrows into a confused look and forms a small “o” shape with his mouth.

Eve lifts her phone and turns it halfway towards him.

“I am lost,” she says, internally scolding herself for the fake Korean accent. “Your help, please,” she says, pretending those are all of the words in the English language that she knows. She lets the confusion hang in the air while she shows Julian the Maps app on her phone.

After a few seconds, Villanelle appears behind Julian. She looks disheveled. Half of her hair is tangled, she has bags under her eyes, and she looks ill. She holds a dining room chair at waist-level.

Eve expertly pretends not to notice Villanelle. She continues to nod and plead and drag her fingers around the map, aimlessly.

Julian wonders why Eve’s end goal is so unclear to him. He doesn’t notice when a chair hits him over the head, knocking him to the floor.


	2. Chapter 2

Villanelle stumbles over Julian’s unconscious body, towards outside—towards _Eve_. And she and Eve are running to the car. Although Villanelle’s abdomen aches while she shuffles her legs along in a slow run, the exhilaration of finally being free carries her along, till she slumps into the passenger seat and pulls the door closed.

Villanelle only smiles for a moment, then pants for air and rests her head against the window.

Eve only looks over at Villanelle for a second, then she steps on the gas and brings them down the street, then out of the neighborhood. She heads for a hotel that is far enough away from Julian, but close to her own house.

Villanelle’s mind is overcome with relief, while her body is overcome with pain. The combination is the perfect elixir for sleep. Villanelle falls asleep while leaning her head against the window; the lull pulls her under without her knowledge, before she can even ask Eve where they are going.

**

Eve nudges her and tells her to wake up, when they arrive.

Villanelle jolts awake, and pain pulses through her neck. She stretches it and brings her hand up to soothe the muscles on her right side, and then she freezes when she remembers she’s with Eve.

“Eve,” Villanelle says, “thank—”

Eve puts her hand on Villanelle’s shoulder and interrupts. “—Let’s get inside, then we will talk.”

Villanelle nods.

Eve removes her hand and asks, “Do you have any weapons? Are you going to hurt me?” Her tone is equal parts stern and afraid.

“N— _No_ , Eve. I do not have any weapons. I will not hurt you,” Villanelle promises. And when Eve’s expression relaxes, Villanelle says, “I don’t have anything.” She thinks of her stab wound and descends into panic. She has nothing except for the nightgown she wears, now. “I have nothing for my wound, Eve! I need medicine, I need pads, I n—”

“Hey,” Eve says, sternly. She softens and continues. “Like I said, let’s go inside.”

Villanelle nods. The authority Eve commands relaxes her. For the first time in a while, she believes that everything will be okay.

Eve goes around to Villanelle’s side of the car and opens the door for her. She guides Villanelle to stand up and murmurs “Jesus” because Villanelle is such a mess. Her hair is tangled, her nightgown is bloody, and she isn’t wearing socks or shoes.

They go into the hotel and Eve requests a room with two beds.

“What on earth happened to you?” the desk lady asks.

Villanelle looks as though she’s about to use one of her accents, but Eve interrupts.

“How inconsiderate!” Eve scolds. And then, “My niece had surgery and was discharged from the hospital earlier than planned.”

Villanelle gawks at Eve, both surprised and impressed.

The desk lady just blinks a couple of times and asks, “So, what did they take?”

Eve’s face gets hot with anger and she resists her impulse to strangle the woman because who the fuck asks that?

Before Eve can even decide what to do, Villanelle responds, “My gallbladder,” and grabs the key card. She spins and heads for the elevator, with Eve following close behind.

The pair get into the hotel room and Villanelle immediately sits down on one of the beds, and then she winces in pain and carefully lies herself down, flat on her back.

“Is there no . . . doctor that you can—?” Eve asks, carefully.

“No, Eve,” Villanelle says, and she closes her eyes. The only thing she wants is to sleep.

“Hey,” Eve says, when she sees Villanelle nodding off. She gets close to Villanelle’s bed and sits at the end. She lets her jacket fall off of her shoulders.

“Hmm?” Villanelle asks, opening her eyes a bit.

“I . . . I’m only going to ask you this one more time, okay?” Eve starts. She takes a breath. “You promise you’re not going to hurt me?”

Villanelle’s eyes go wide. “No, Eve! You saved me!” she says, and her fingers twitch because she can’t sit up and she can’t reach Eve. She wishes that she could put her hand on Eve’s arm.

That’s all Eve needs. “Okay,” she says. She shrugs her coat back onto her shoulders and stands up. “I’m going to the pharmacy,” she says, abruptly.

Villanelle gasps and then closes her eyes and smiles.

“What?” Eve says, while she puts her shoes back on by the door.

“Nothing,” Villanelle says. “Thank you, Eve.”

**

Eve swipes herself back into the hotel room while carrying two bags of snack foods, water bottles, and products from the pharmacy.

She kicks her shoes off and hangs up her coat, and she plops the bags onto a desk when she looks over and sees Villanelle—fast asleep, breathing softly, with all of the muscles in her face relaxed.

_Oh my god_ , Eve thinks, and it’s for multiple reasons. Part of it is because Villanelle is beautiful and soft, and it’s difficult to remember that she’s a killer when she’s asleep. Another part is because Villanelle must be in a ton of pain, and Eve doesn’t know what to do. And the last part, of course, is the fact that Eve walked out of work and picked Villanelle up and took her to a hotel, and nobody knows where either of them are.

Eve finds her phone and texts Niko, telling him that she has “a work thing.” And then she texts Carolyn, telling her she has “a Niko thing.” And then she lets out a breath and puts her phone down, and she looks at Villanelle, again.

She sighs and thinks, _Oh my god_ , for one of the first two reasons.


	3. Chapter 3

Villanelle wakes up and feels a hand on her forehead. She thinks of Julian and starts to flinch, but then she hears a soft voice.

“Hey,” Eve says. She waits until Villanelle relaxes, again. “I just wanted to see if you feel warm; if you have a fever.”

Villanelle can’t believe this is happening, and she wants to smile because of how nice it feels. She wants to take Eve’s hand and bring it down to her heart and hang onto it. She won’t, though—shouldn’t, probably.

“Okay,” Eve says, and she removes her hand. Her stress rises. “I don’t know what I’m doing. I have pads, gauze, ointment, painkillers, cotton balls, rubbing alcohol, body wash, and a cloth bandage.”

Villanelle’s mouth falls open, halfway down the list. “Jesus!” she says, when Eve is done. “Did you leave anything for anyone else?” she jokes.

Eve huffs in frustration. “I said I _don’t kn_ —”

“—Thank you, Eve!” Villanelle says, then, and she starts to laugh a little bit, but it seems like she could start to cry a little bit, too. She pulls herself upright and sits on the side of the bed. She lets her blood pressure catch up to her and then she explains, “Julian wouldn’t go to the pharmacy.”

“Oh,” Eve says. She thinks long and hard about what she should say, next. “Do you want to talk about it? Are-Are you okay? Did . . . he hurt you?”

“No,” Villanelle rushes out. “He didn’t hurt me. He’s just really weird and treated me like a . . . _doll_?” She makes a face and wonders if her words even makes sense. “And his mother started to say a bunch of stuff about him, and she’s locked in that house, too.”

Eve sighs with relief and steadies herself, feeling genuinely grateful that Villanelle wasn’t harmed in any major way. Then, she starts rummaging through the bag of products she listed and gets lost. “I don’t know what to . . .” she says.

“I’ve got it!” Villanelle says, standing up and joining Eve. She pulls out a pad, the ace bandage, the ointment, and the body wash. She decides to use the hotel’s hand soap to clean her wound. “I’m going to shower off and use these,” she tells Eve. “Thank you,” she says, again, and starts hobbling over to the bathroom.

“Wait!” Eve calls.

Villanelle turns around and waits.

“Don’t lock the door. And yell if you need anything, okay?” Eve says. She doesn’t want Villanelle to pass out or hurt herself further, or anything.

Villanelle can’t help but smile again, and she gives a nod, then continues on her journey.

Eve sits on the bed and lets out a breath, and listens carefully when the shower starts to run. She feels miserable with guilt.

**

Villanelle gets herself into the shower and washes herself. She uses body wash and then rubs hand soap onto her exposed wound, clenching her teeth so that she doesn’t scream and alert Eve. She doesn’t wash her hair, but she uses a conditioner sample to get some of the tangles out, since she and Eve don’t have a brush or comb.

Then, she dries off and grabs her supplies. She lathers the wound in ointment and puts a sanitary pad over it. Then, she loosely wraps the ace bandage around her stomach to keep the pad in place. She pulls her disgusting clothes back on and exits the bathroom with all of the supplies in her hand.

**

Eve greets her with water and pretzels—and painkillers. She says something about ordering room service at dinnertime, but Villanelle can hardly fathom all of the kindness.

“Thank you,” she tells Eve. She quiets her voice and says, “You’re being too nice.” She sits on her bed and looks at the floor. She slumps, a little. She puts the pretzels, water, and pills on the bedside table.

“I’m—I,” Eve starts. She leans her back against the wall and tries again. “I’m sorry I stabbed you,” she says, carefully. The guilt in her chest threatens to rise and bring her to tears. She doesn’t think Villanelle could ever forgive her for this, and watching Villanelle try to keep herself alive, now, is agonizing.

Villanelle looks into Eve’s eyes and sits up straighter. “You hurt me,” she says, “but you also saved me.”

“I don’t . . . I just don’t think that makes us ‘even’,” Eve responds.

Villanelle says (quiet and low and sure), “In my book, it does.” And then she eats a handful of pretzels and takes the painkillers while she watches Eve slowly find acceptance and relief.

**

Villanelle lies down on her side and closes her eyes, hoping to fall asleep, again.

Eve watches her, still leaning against the wall. After a moment, she gets an idea.

Eve retrieves the open tube of ointment and quietly goes to Villanelle’s bedside, where she kneels down. She takes a little bit at a time, putting it on the cuts on Villanelle’s forehead. She is slow and gentle as she rubs it into Villanelle’s skin.

Villanelle opens her eyes partway through, and she smiles at Eve.

“You’re awake?”

“Yes . . . hurts too much to fall asleep,” Villanelle responds. “That feels nice, though,” she says, smiling.

Eve finishes her task and puts the cap back on the tube, and then she sets it down on the bedside table. She picks herself up and goes over to her own bed, where she rests her back against the pillows and sits up. She’s just about to grab the TV remote when Villanelle says something to her.

“Eve?” Villanelle says.

“Yeah?”

“Will you . . .” she hesitates, “. . . lie down with me?”

“Oh,” Eve breathes. She knows she should let herself properly make a decision—pros and cons, and all that—but she doesn’t. She crosses the room and sits on Villanelle’s bed, looking down at her. And then she carefully lies herself down, facing Villanelle.

Villanelle feels incredibly safe and whole with Eve beside her. She forgets about the pain she caused when she disturbed her stab wound by tearing the old bandage away and aggravating the bloodied area with soap. She just sees Eve’s glowing, dark eyes. Eve’s voluminous layers of curls. The pretty shape of Eve’s mouth.

“Eve,” Villanelle breathes. Grateful. Her eyes flutter closed and then she opens them, again, and shifts herself a little bit closer to Eve.

Eve’s eyes roam all over Villanelle’s face, and her heart aches at the sight. At being positioned like this, again. She runs her hand over some of Villanelle’s damp hair, and then she lets her hand come back up and she grazes a couple of her fingers over Villanelle’s jaw. She knows that Villanelle gets the memo, that this is exactly like the last time, but in reverse.

Villanelle keeps her hand tucked against her own chest and closes her eyes. She finds all of it breathtakingly beautiful, and she decides she wants to fall asleep, now, with Eve’s warmth and affection surrounding her.

Eve doesn’t let her go, yet.

“There’s something I need to tell you,” Eve whispers.

Villanelle opens her eyes and holds herself to the promise of staying awake until Eve is finished.

“Hmm?” Villanelle asks, looking into Eve’s eyes.

“This is going to sound crazy,” Eve continues, and she laughs a little. “I uh . . . I realized that I didn’t stab you because I wanted to hurt you or kill you, or anything like that.”

Villanelle listens and then nods, opting to stay silent.

“I think that I stabbed you because I love you,” Eve says.

Villanelle gasps and puts her arm around Eve’s side, hugging her.

“I know,” Villanelle says. “I love you,” Villanelle whispers, when she has the words.

Eve closes the distance and rests their foreheads together. She puts her arm around Villanelle’s shoulder, where she knows she won’t cause any pain.

“I shouldn’t have stabbed you,” Eve says, “I should have, um . . . You wanted t-to . . .” she hesitates and then she kisses Villanelle.

Villanelle smiles and forgets how to breathe, and then she hugs Eve closer until it’s almost too much.

“ _Oh_ ,” Villanelle whispers, barely audible. She smiles and blushes, and her eyes fall closed with exhaustion, and Eve’s presence surrounds her, still. “Don’t let go,” she begs Eve.

“I won’t,” Eve says, holding her.

Eve closes her eyes, too, and the pair falls asleep while holding each other and leaning on each other.


End file.
